Westpac chief executive’s resignation draws little sympathy on all sides of politics. All the day’s events, live
Sarah Hanson-Young has written about her defamation court victory against David Leyonhjelm in the Guardian today:
Related: David Leyonhelm tried to publicly shame me – I had to call him out | Sarah Hanson Young
Chris Bowen is responding to this story
(As reported by Melissa Davey)
Private health insurance will continue its slow death spiral unless unnecessary private hospital costs and exorbitant specialist bills are reined in, a Grattan Institute report has found.
The report, written by health economists Stephen Duckett and Kristina Nemet, said a small minority of greedy specialist doctors billed their patients at more than twice the official Medicare benefit schedule fee. Patients were not being told about the fees in advance.
Related: 'Greedy specialists' charging exorbitant fees a major cause of private health's strife
Greg Hunt is fiddling while private health insurance burns and across Australia people know it is broken and not working for them and they are voting with their feet. Greg Hunt has been warned and warned and warned and he’s refused to act and he’s told us he’s delivered the biggest reforms in history.
Newsflash, Greg, all of Australia knows they haven’t worked and today we have another report pointing out that private health insurance needs big reform. What is Minister Hunt’s answer?
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Guardian World News
Pete Buttigieg: race is between me and Warren – as new poll puts him fourth
- Buttigieg: Senator’s Medicare for All plan is ‘polarising’
- Opinion: Goodbye, Beto. A sad end to a pointless campaign
Pete Buttigieg is fourth in a four-strong pack clear of the Democratic presidential field, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. But he thinks the final choice of who will challenge Donald Trump will be between him and Elizabeth Warren.
Related: Liberty and Justice for Democrats in Des Moines – but no clear Iowa star
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Third Rudy Giuliani associate arrested at JFK airport – live
David Correia was detained in a campaign finance case involving associates of Trump’s personal lawyer with Ukraine links
joe biden: i did it, you owe me everything.
elizabeth warren:
pic.twitter.com/UTUVtiUzUnElizabeth Warren having to talk slow and quiet to Biden like you do the aggressive asshole at your job who is all, "I MADE YOU" is making my PTSD act up.
The fact that Biden yelled at Warren, “I got you the votes!” speaks to everything we know about peak white male fragility. #DemDebate
Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg is on the attack following last night’s debate – a shift in position for the mayor who largely avoided attacking his rivals.
Pete Buttigieg, continuing his criticism of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, says his 2020 rival has been "more specific and forthcoming about the number of selfies she's taken" than about laying out details of how she'd pay for "Medicare for All." https://t.co/nzy3E5BYfV
Buttigieg got a lot of early interest by saying things like “the compromise position is single payer” and “Republicans are going to call us socialists anyway.” It’s a real question whether the same voters who liked that approach will like his new one. https://t.co/Yu2tQfbUSr
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Democrats issue warning over Trump’s ‘dangerous’ whistleblower attacks – live
Pelosi and Schiff say any attempt to ‘stonewall’ inquiry ‘will be considered obstruction of justice’, while Bernie Sanders undergoes heart surgery
Bernie Sanders has tweeted his thanks to well wishers after he underwent heart surgery for a blocked artery. He has suspended campaign appearances but used his condition remind supporters of a key campaign goal: medicare for all.
Thanks for all the well wishes. I'm feeling good. I'm fortunate to have good health care and great doctors and nurses helping me to recover.
None of us know when a medical emergency might affect us. And no one should fear going bankrupt if it occurs. Medicare for All!
OK - here are some takeaways from that press conference. It was a long one involving a lot of incoherent and rambling answers from the president. But here’s my best shot of at some of the most important comments relating to impeachment and the ongoing Ukraine scandal.
Firstly, Trump responded to a New York Times report, published earlier today, stating that the whistleblower had approached a House Intelligence Committee staff aide days before filing his complaint. The report states that the committee chairman, Adam Schiff, was later made aware of the nature of the allegations but was not given any information on the whistleblower’s identity. A spokesman for Schiff has confirmed parts of this reporting, and stated it is standard procedure for the committee to offer advice to whistleblowers on how to file complaints.
Trump engages in contentious back and forth with @JeffMason1 after he dodges Ukraine question:
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Trump: We have the president of Finland, ask him a question.
Mason: I have one for him, I just wanted to follow up on the one I asked you—
Trump: Did you hear me? Ask him a question! pic.twitter.com/Co64SmxOmk
Trump suggests House intelligence chair should face ‘arrest for treason’ – live news
- Trump hits out at Adam Schiff over impeachment inquiry
- Sanders to roll out new proposal on chief executive pay
Jeff Flake, a former Republican senator, has written a Washington Post op-ed imploring fellow members of his party to oppose Trump’s re-election.
Two years ago I stood in the Senate chamber and said: ‘There are times when we must risk our careers in favor of our principles.’ ...
Now, two years later, it is my former Republican Senate colleagues who have a decision to make. Or, as I see it, two decisions to make. The first is difficult; the second is easy. ...
“TrumpCare” does not exist – this has not stopped some firms from advertising insurance products under this banner, according to a new report from Axios.
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Democratic debates: Harris says Trump ‘tweeted the ammunition’ for El Paso shooter – live
The 10 candidates on stage in Houston offered competing visions based on Obamacare and Medicare for All
Elizabeth Warren is calling for the end of the Senate filibuster to enact gun-control legislation.
If the filibuster was done away with, it would only take 50 Senate votes to pass a bill; legislation can currently be blocked if it attracts less than 60 votes.
O’Rourke did not shy away from saying he would require citizens to turn in their military-style weapons, despite Republicans’ frequent accusations that Democrats are coming to take Americans’ guns.
“Hell yes, we’re going to take your AK-47,” O’Rourke said in one of the biggest lines of the night so far.
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House committee to vote on impeachment procedures – live
House judiciary panel to consider procedures for future hearings in first step towards possible impeachment of Trump
The Trump administration has reportedly given up efforts to write an Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) replacement bill.
After campaigning to repeal the law for eight years, Republicans have struggled to piece together a cohesive strategy for caring for the staggering 27.5m Americans locked out of the healthcare system.
A little live fact-checking from the Guardian’s reporter Joan Greve.
It appears this is the Al Green quote (from May) that Trump is referring to, which is different in both wording and meaning than the president claims here. https://t.co/FdpxlXsJeY pic.twitter.com/zlN1iTKrva
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Victorian MPs to debate bill to let transgender people change birth certificate without surgery
Despite vocal opposition from the Coalition and a new women’s group, Labor bill looks set to pass parliament
The Victorian parliament is gearing up for a debate over the rights of transgender and non-binary people to be able to choose the gender listed on their birth certificates.
Under current law in Victoria, in order for transgender people to have their birth certificate changed to affirm their gender, they have to have undergone sex affirming surgery, often at great cost. It is something many transgender people do not wish to undertake, it is not covered by Medicare, and often the surgery is not available in Australia.
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NSW abortion bill passes first hurdle
Bill passes lower house of New South Wales parliament after lengthy debate
An NSW bill to decriminalise abortion has passed its first hurdle after a lengthy and passionate debate in the lower house.
However, proponents of the Reproductive Health Care Reform Bill 2019 face further hurdles as it now goes to the upper house for consideration.
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Josh Frydenberg faces citizenship challenge by constituent – politics live
Michael Staindl launches section 44(1) case against the deputy Liberal leader and treasurer in the court of disputed returns. All the day’s events, live
Chris Bowen to Greg Hunt:
Why did the Minister yesterday claimed that the granting of an MRI Medicare license to sound radiology was in unquote quote not under an independent process.” When in fact, they were signed off by him in his ministerial office.
Bob Katter appeared to just blurt a bunch of words out at the microphone, or maybe I just had a stroke. I don’t smell toast, but I just can’t tell. All I know is that I can make no sense of those words.
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